Wikis


 * Wikis **
 * What is a Wiki? **

Wikis are one of several Web 2.0 applications which are transforming the nature of teaching and learning. In fact, a good case could be made for the wiki as one of the most important sites on the web presently. Like weblogs (blogs), wikis are easy to use web publishing tools that allow a group of users to collaboratively add and edit web website content without any programming knowledge. "The term //wiki// is adopted from the Hawaiian word //wiki wiki// which means fast or quick. There are different types of wikis that are hosted services such as Wikispaces and PBworks which the user can use without having to worry about anything. There are also server-based wikis some of which are free to a point and some cost money.

Ward Cunningham created the first wiki in 1995 when he was looking for an easy authoring tool to encourage people to publish their information on the web. Wiki is a website where anyone can add or edit each other’s work seamlessly. Consequently, there are tens of thousands of wiki editors and publishers. It is a rapidly growing body of knowledge. A wiki is based on a desire for collaboration and the belief that everyone together is smarter than one individual. Today, there are wikis in over 250 languages and edits occur at a rate of 400,000 a day.

The best known example of a wiki is Wikipedia ( [|**//wik//**//-i-**pee**-dee-ə//] ), which is an online encyclopaedia containing information on just about any topic or subject you can imagine. If you have ever done research on the web on any topic, Wikipedia is generally the first thing that will appear in your search. The success of Wikipedia has led to a wiki revolution. There are wikis for every area of interest where people can add their knowledge or even contribute their favourite recipe or vacation spot. There are wiki//quotes//, wiki//recipes//, wiki//travel//, wiki//news//, wikisource, wik//tionary//. If you cannot find a wiki in your area of interest, you can simply create one. Check out the videos below for a few ideas. media type="youtube" key="PjThZWdoYi4" height="219" width="294"
 * Learning Theory**

The theory behind wikis supports social learning, participatory and contributory learning, which aligns with social constructivist types of learning. People take ownership in their own learning by becoming generators of information rather than receivers of knowledge. There is more interaction, more collaboration, and more social learning. Research shows that collaborative learning fosters the development of critical through discussion, clarification of ideas, and evaluation of ideas (Johnson & Johnson, 1986; Totten, Sills, Dignby, & Russ, 1991). Group based learning is grounded in the principles of cooperative and collaborative learning and on the belief that the development of knowledge is a social process. This involves groups of people engaged in the negotiation of meaning and understanding (Slavin, 1990, 1994; Wenger, 1998). Although individuals can learn by themselves, proponents of group-based learning argue that group based learning is a more powerful means for developing knowledge and understanding (Pea, 1993; Resnick et al., 1991).

Whether you are in education, a non-profit organization, or a commercial enterprise, wikis provide easy access for collaborative production. They are quick, easy to change, and make it easy to see contributions. “ Because wikis grow and evolve as a direct result of people adding material to the site, they can address a variety of pedagogical needs—student involvement, group activities, and so on. Since wikis reside on the Internet, students can access and participate from any location, provided they have Internet access. From an instructional technology perspective, wikis allow faculty and students to engage in collaborative activities that might not to be possible in a classroom. Although wikis have yet to achieve the recognition that weblog have in education, wikis offer great promise with its unique features for creating knowledge management, and decision making. "Wikis have an advantage over these [Web 2.0] technologies when it comes to ad-hoc tasks, when knwoledge must be gatthered quickly especially if the knowledge sources are far apart from one another ([|Wagner, 2004, p.278]) ." Their flexibility will encourage broader adoption—by both students and faculty” ([|Educause Learning Initiative], p. 3). Wikis provide fast ‘just in time learning’ on an as needed basis. Wikis have a knowledge catalogue, wthih is an important consideration in knowledgemanagement and decision making. The history and versioning feature enable educators to easily see contributions and the evolution of knowledge creation. The hyperlinks enable learners to create context and make connections. Finally, many other technology tools can be used in creating wikis, such as graphics, podcasts, RSS, audio and video clips to appeal to as many learning styles as possible.
 * Benefits and Educational Significance**

There are many ways to use wikis. Many teachers use a wiki to post their course syllabus, lesson plan, and teaching notes. Teachers may include other teachers, who teach the same class using the space to exchange ides, share resources, showcase best practices, etc. Teachers use wikis to support their classroom learning by creating a space for students (even parents) to exhange ideas, share findings, provide feedback and collaborate on essays and projects. Since all the materials are in one place a teacher can check their students' progress, offer feedback, and ensure that students are moving towards achieving the learning objective. As topics arise, teachers can use wikis to provide students with impromptu or "just in time" learning. Students will need to develop the skills to navigate through realms of information,evaluate content, remix, repurpose, and create new information. Educators are increasingly seeing the merits of wikis in creating engaging and collaborative learning environments. The videos below are a just two of many available on the applications of wikis in education. media type="youtube" key="1pR5yogCmkA" height="251" width="336"media type="youtube" key="m1-8OOrBi0o" height="254" width="361"
 * Best Practices**

There is a small learning curve for those who have never used a wiki before. However there are many resources available on the web like the video above that will help you learn about wikis. Because a wiki is open source and anyone can change content (provided they have access), the first thing most people wonder about is if information found on a wiki is reliable. Fortunately, experience has shown that there are more editors intent on presenting correct information and they are quick to set straight anything not accurate. Each page on a wiki contains a tab that says History, usually near the Edit Page menu. The history will show when changes were made, by whom, and what has been changed. The versioning and page history is an important feature in a multi user system. If someone adds incorrect or unwelcome content (vandalism), wikis address these challenges by keeping prior versions of any web page in menory, and enabling rollback, comparison, difference identification, and similar functions. Nonetheless, there is the potential for systemic bias. People may be hesitant to change one persons wording or content. Also, group dynamics can play an important role on outcomes. Socialization and group dynamics can play a role in influencing what and how information is presented. Collaborative information is based on individual values, assumptions, and norms of the groups. Like, any other technologie,issues may arise around the use of a wiki in any organization. Without establishing norms and rules around usage wikis can become ‘unruly’. For example, in education students must know the rules, norms, and responsibilities for using the wiki and how they will be graded.
 * Limitations and Barriers**


 * Natural Linkages and Future Uses**

Just like tools such as blackboard and moodle take advantage of the web, new e-learning tools such as Web 2.0 focus on the interaction and interpretation were the first popular tool ofr sharing information, comments, and media-based resources. Although wikis have yet to achieve the recognition that blogs have, its knowledge repository and knowledge catalogue give it an advantage over these communication technologies ([|Wagner, 2008], p.265). Wikis have not achieved the recognition that weblogs have as a knowledge management technology (Markus et al., 2000). But, weblogs are individual user technology while wikis operate on a many to many mode. In terms of content, information continues to rapidly grow and evolve while weblogs grow one post at a time and each post becomes dated over time. The potential for these two tools to merge into one technology is apparent. For example, one wiki space, [|TikiWiki CMS Groupware] is a fress software which integrates numerous content management and groupware functions, including, voting, blogging (like Wordpress), image gallery (like Flickr) Link Directory (like DMOZ), Articles (like Yahoo News), Multilingual (like Babel Firs), RSS feeds (like Digg), Free Open Source software (LGPL) voting,and Bug Tracker (like Bugzilla). Wikis have the capacity to intgrate technologies to support exchanges for learning across all disciplines like we have never seen before.

__References__ Adelsberger, H., Pawloski, J., & Sampson, J. (2010). //Handbook on information technologies for education and training.// New York: Springer. Elgort, I., Smith, A. G. & Toland, J. (2008). Is wiki an effective platform for group course work? //Australasian Journal of Educational Technology,// 24(2), 195-210. Johnson, R. T., & Johnson, D. W. (1986). Action research: Cooperative learning in the science classroom. //Science and Children//, 24, 31-32. Richardson, W. (2009). //Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other pwoerful web tools for classrooms.// California: Corwin Post. Totten, S., Sills, T., Digby, A., & Russ, P. (1991). //Cooperative learning: A guide to research//. New York: Garland.